Have you ever seen a pig giggle? It’s quite a sight. They squeal with excitement when something good happens – like rolling in the mud or when dinner is served—or when they save time and money on shipping boxes to customers. Well, maybe the last example doesn’t apply to all pigs, but it certainly does to a small business retailer in Connecticut.

In partnership with Pitney Bowes, I recently selected The Giggling Pig, the above-mentioned retailer, for a special three-month trial program to demonstrate how using the right shipping tools can play an integral role in a company’s success and growth. Hannah Perry, Founder and CEO of The Giggling Pig, told us the timing couldn’t be any better.

“I’ve been looking to grow my business since the day I started it,” Hannah replied when I shared the news of her selection to the program. “We had one location initially, and now we have two retail stores and a bustling e-commerce web site. The opportunity to have access to the tools to help me do the shipping I need to do, something that’s new to me and my business, could not come at a better time.”

Hannah just finalized the design for a special ‘Art Box,’ an individual paint set that allows new and future customers to paint their Giggling Pig projects at home. “This revenue stream should help us grow our business in 2017 and beyond. I’m anxious to see how this works for me,” she added.

Over the next three months, I will follow Hannah’s progress and update followers on how something as seemingly insignificant as shipping can play a key role in her growth plans.

The heart of our program is a new online shipping and mailing solution called SendPro. It was developed by Pitney Bowes specifically for small businesses. SendPro helps business owners simplify their mailing and shipping processes in a more cost-efficient and effective manner. Some of the features and benefits include:

Print USPS® stamps on adhesive label sheets or directly onto your envelopes and save 3 cents on every letter you send, and print professional shipping labels for USPS®, FedEx® and UPS®.

Send mail and packages now and pay later with flexible payment options.

You can save 3 cents off USPS stamps – which is not available at the post office, a no less than 18% off UPS Next Day Air®, 13% off Priority Mail Express®.

According to Vina Goberdhan, North American SMB Demand Generation Manager for Pitney Bowes, The Giggling Pig is definitely a small business that will greatly benefit from using SendPro. “Hannah’s business is what Pitney Bowes had in mind when we developed the SendPro product,” she explained. “One of our key objectives is to help small businesses like The Giggling Pig grow their companies through smarter shipping practices. The product is also ideal for law offices, medical practices, and accounting firms, to name a few.”

I will post regular updates on Hannah’s progress on social media using the hashtag #PBSendProTrial and provide additional tips and easy to implement advice on growing your business. If you want to join the discussion, you can follow me, @brianmoran, and @Pitney Bowes on Twitter and the Pitney Bowes Facebook page to follow Hannah’s story and for helpful tips on to better manage your business.

The landscape for small and medium business to thrive and grow is more challenging today but presents greater opportunity than five years ago, according to President of SMB Global Solutions Mark Shearer. “Leveraging the right technology can be a significant competitive advantage,” he shared during the global #PowerofPrecision chat. His advice to SMBs: